May 20, 2026

NEW YORK, NY – Today, the New York City Council approved the City’s first Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) application for 351 Powers Avenue, a plot of City-owned land in the Bronx that will create 84 affordable homes.     

Approved by voters in November, ELURP offers a streamlined public review process for certain housing projects. Reviews will conclude within 90 days, down from roughly seven months under the standard Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). The shorter timeline will speed delivery of new homes at a time of historic housing shortage.    

The disposition of the 351 Powers Avenue site in Mott Haven will enable development of 84 new affordable homes for low-income New Yorkers, including 30 for formerly homeless residents, on an undeveloped City-owned parking lot. The project will also include a ground-floor workforce development training center, a theater, and indoor and outdoor recreational space for residents.

“Our administration is treating the housing crisis with the urgency New Yorkers deserve. By using the city’s first-ever Expedited Land Use Review Procedure, we cut months off the pre-development process to deliver desperately needed affordable housing in Mott Haven faster. And this is only the beginning. We will continue bringing every part of city government together to confront the housing crisis head-on,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani.

“With new tools like ELURP, we can deliver more affordable housing, more quickly across New York City.  I’m thrilled to see this project receive approval just three months after entering ELURP, and grateful for Council Member Elsie Encarnacion and the City Council’s support,” said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. “This is just a preview of the investment in affordable housing that we can deploy together across New York City in the years to come.”

“Thanks to the new ELURP process, 351 Powers Avenue received the fastest land-use approval in decades: just 90 days, down from a typical 7 months. That’s saving time, but also money,” said Dina Levy, Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation & Development. “Today’s City Council vote is a perfect example of how ELURP will help deliver housing faster without sacrificing quality. With 84 homes and new community space, this is a vital and common-sense project—the first of many that will benefit from this streamlined process. As we face a historic housing shortage, we are committed to using every tool at our disposal to build the housing New Yorkers need.”

“Every day we delay affordable housing development is another day a working New Yorker has to live under the crushing cost of housing that never seems to go down, that families have to live without necessities to make rent this month, and that people who should be eligible to leave the shelter system remain stuck,” said City Council Member Elsie Encarnación. “351 Powers is bringing 84 100% affordable units to the South Bronx 4 months ahead of the normal process - and reducing the length of 84 personal housing tragedies and struggles by 4 months - all without compromising on building quality or addressing community needs. I am so proud that District 8 is setting such a high standard first ELURP building, and I hope to see many more projects in District 8 and citywide follow in our footsteps.”

“In February, 351 Powers Avenue became the first affordable housing project to enter the new expedited ELURP review process. Now, just 90 days later, that review is complete. This is exactly what ELURP and other voter-approved public review tools are about: streamlining review, delivering homes more quickly and equitably, and ultimately creating a more affordable, livable city for New Yorkers,” said Sideya Sherman, Director of the Department of City Planning. “We are grateful for the City Council’s approval of 351 Powers and look forward to many more housing projects following in its footsteps.”

"351 Powers Avenue represents an important opportunity to expand affordable housing and invest in the future of the Bronx," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. "As our city continues to confront a housing crisis, projects like this help ensure Bronx families have access to safe, high-quality, and deeply affordable homes rooted in community needs. The approval of the City's first-ever Expedited Land Use Review Procedure also demonstrates how we can move urgently and responsibly to deliver housing opportunities while incorporating workforce development, green space, and community-centered amenities. Thank you, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the New York City Council, the Department of City Planning, and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for their partnership and commitment to equitable growth in our city. Addressing our housing challenges requires collaboration at every level of government, and this project reflects what is possible when we work together to put Bronx families first."

HPD’s video celebrating this achievement can be viewed HERE.

The Site

• 351 Powers Avenue is located on Powers Avenue between East 141st Street and East 143rd Street in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx.
• The site is an undeveloped City-owned lot totaling approximately 17,400 SF that is currently used as a teacher parking lot for the adjacent public school. It sits adjacent to the P.S. 65 and Academic Leadership Charter School shared building and playground to the south, one- and two- family homes to the north, and 5-story multi-family buildings directly to the west.

Community Engagement

• Prior to the Request for Proposals (RFP) there was extensive community engagement, including a virtual workshop, tabling events, and a public questionnaire. This process resulted in a Community Visioning Report whose findings influenced the winning development team's proposal.
• Development teams applying for the RFP had to address those community needs in their application for the development site.
• After a development team was designated and before the formal start of ELURP, HPD and the development team presented several times to Bronx Community Board 1 to keep them updated on the project. HPD and the Development team during ELURP presented at the CB 1 Economic Development, Land Use, Housing, & Zoning Committee and the CB 1 Full Board Meeting on February 26, 2026. A separate Borough President Hearing was held on March 24, 2026.

Community Focused Design Features

• The building will feature a community theater, a workforce development center, and more than 6,400 square feet of outdoor green space.
• The proposed development will also create 30 replacement parking spots for teachers.
• 351 Powers is part of a pilot program led by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) aimed at incorporating design standards from the City’s Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines into building and infrastructure projects to combat extreme heat and heavy precipitation and achieve carbon neutrality. 

Recent Public Site Developments  

This project is part of the agency’s efforts to create affordable housing on publicly owned land. In the past six months, HPD has made significant progress developing city-owned land across the City, including:

• Breaking ground on Timbale Terrace, a 100% affordable, mixed-use development that will deliver 341 affordable homes and a new community arts center to East Harlem.
• Announcing the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track Request for Qualifications (RFQ), an expedited process to speed the delivery of affordable housing on City-owned land.
• Announcing community engagement for Fulton-Howard West, which will create 100 percent affordable housing on city-owned land while also providing modernized community service spaces.

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